


Father Figure

by Tired_All_Day_Everyday



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Father Figures, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Guide Aaron Hotchner, Hurt Spencer Reid, One Shot, Parent Aaron Hotchner, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tired_All_Day_Everyday/pseuds/Tired_All_Day_Everyday
Summary: What if Aaron Hotchner had a MAJOR soft spot for Spencer Reid?
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid
Comments: 3
Kudos: 217





	Father Figure

**Author's Note:**

> I love the scenes with Hotch and Jack, so I was like, “What if Hotch acted like a dad towards a team member?” and I immediately thought of Reid.

It had been a very long week.

Reid didn’t want to think about the case they had worked on for the past week. Sadly his mind was always running a mile a minute, never ceasing to even take a small break.

This case had taken a toll on everybody, especially Reid.

His head was ringing, images of the victims’ corpses flashing in his head, a dull ache accompanied the endless torment.

As the Unit Chief, Hotchner had to make sure that everyone was in the right headspace and was capable of doing their job. He was a strict Unit Chief, to say the least. He obviously cared about each and every one of the team members, but his role didn’t have enough room to do a one on one with everybody after every case.

So when he had seen that Reid was mentally checking out more than usual from outside his window, he was starting to get a little worried. 

He knew that this case had taken a toll on everyone, he would be more concerned if it hadn’t, but he also knew that Reid always took it more heavily than everyone else.

Morgan usually worked on rebuilding and renovating houses.

Rossi usually spent time with Joy, making up for lost time.

Prentiss usually went out with Garcia and JJ, having a good time just hanging out.

Hotch himself usually stayed at the BAU until the next morning, writing away the reports, but he did have a son at home who he looked forward to seeing.

Reid, on the other hand, didn’t really have anything to help him cope.

And that troubled Hotch.

The ringing and headaches weren’t getting any better. 

Reid looked around the bullpen, unfazed by the fact that no one else was there. He took quick gaze to Hotch’s office, unfazed again that he would stay this late.

He sighed mournfully, insistingly rubbing his eyes, trying to physically wipe away the memories. He couldn’t really think straight, knowing in the back of his mind that nothing could really stop his eidetic memory from remembering everything like an encyclopedia.

Hotch glanced outside his window again. He saw Reid hunched over, rereading files and notes. His knowledge contradicted the sight, knowing that Reid didn’t need to glance at words twice to remember them.

He took a deep breath. He stood up, paperwork be dammed. 

“Hey,” Reid jumped up, surprised to see that Hotch had paid him a visit.  
It took him a moment to realize that Hotch being outside his office at this hour was odd.

“H-hey,” Reid croaked, clearing his throat, a pained look crossing his face. 

“How are you?” Hotch softly mumbles, keeping his face neutral, his parental instincts kicking in. 

“I’m okay,” Reid mumbles back, his eyes darting around the room, looking everywhere but Hotch’s eyes.

Okay, Hotch thought, I’ve had enough.

“Reid, you know you can tell me how you’re feeling right?” Hotch reassuring Reid, His expression getting more fond by the second. Reid looked directly at Hotch, his eyes wanting to break the wall that’s holding back his feelings.

“I-i know Hotch I just-“ He stammered, not knowing how to explain something for the first time in his genius life. “I just, I don’t want to bother you,” He confessed, his wall slowly crumbling down.

Hotch always had a soft spot for Reid. He was in fact the youngest team member in the BAU, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t do extraordinary things. He also knew that Reid was still learning how to deal with the weight of this job, worried when he would stay silent for too long.

Hotch smiled slightly.

“Reid, you can tell me anything. You won’t bother me at all,” He stated, the unwavering in his voice left Reid a little surprised. Reid’s eyes widened a little, his mouth gaping open a little too much.

Reid analyzed the conversation at hand.

Hotch was almost like a parental figure to everyone in the team, so maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad to just trust him with something like this. Reid knew that he did take the tougher cases to heart and he never really had any way of expelling his emotions.

“I just want some company...” Reid whispered.

“Anytime,” Hotch responded, nudging his head towards his office. He started walking towards his office, well aware that Reid would follow him.

And unsurprisingly, he did.

When they both entered the office, it was awkward at first. So very awkward. It was Reid’s first time actually staying in Hotch’s office longer than anyone can say ‘We have a case.'

He never really took the time to look at all of the details in Hotch’s office. Now seemed like the perfect time to do so.

His desk was the first thing that grabbed his attention, the endless piles of paperwork overflowing his workplace was the second. His desk also had some of Jack’s awards, making Reid’s heart warm up. 

His nameplate said AARON HOTCHNER in bold letters, UNIT CHIEF OF THE BAU in smaller bold letters. He didn’t know why, but just seeing Hotch’s name in such boldness and capitalization intimidated him. 

The shelf behind his desk contained books on behavioral analysis, psychology, and many more things that help identify an Unsub. Reid smirked, slightly amused that Hotch has books to help become a profiler, even though Hotch was one of the best profilers Reid had ever witnessed.

The rest of the room was what you would expect from a Unit Chief. Art was on the walls, a comfortable was chair placed across his desk, even a long couch was nestled in the corner of the room. (with a couple of throw pillows for comfort.) It was just waiting to be occupied.

Reid immediately gravitated to the couch on the far side of his office, making himself as comfortable as he possibly could in a bizarre setting. 

He didn’t feel uncomfortable per se, but it was odd for Hotch to show this amount of affection to anyone, and that was saying something.

Maybe he had a soft spot from him, Reid thought.

“Comfortable?” Hotch asked.

“Um- I guess so?” he laughed awkwardly, his crooked smile peeking out. He did feel a calm wash over him when he noticed that Hotch’s expression lightened, becoming more relaxed and mellow. 

As soon as Reid had started to feel comfortable, his mind decided to resume its torment moments before. 

His head started spinning, his consciousness becoming filled with the previous violent images. He laid his head down on his hands, hands that were beginning to shake. 

He must have made no effort to hide his feelings because he distantly heard the recognizable sound of Hotch’s shoes.

The millisecond Hotch had looked up from his file to find a crumpled-up Reid, his parental instincts went in maximum power. He went to go sit down next to Reid, his hands going to rub the sides of his arms out of habit. 

“Reid,” He spoke gently, as if talking to a child. His hands were still shaking, but his posture relaxed. 

All Hotch could make out was Reid’s ragged breathing.

“Reid, it’s not your fault, you couldn’t have known what the Unsub would’ve done,” he said, reassuring Reid and trying to reel him back in. Hotch making his ministrations more slow and soothing. His hands started to calm down, his breathing slowing down calmly.

“I-I would’ve known if I was fast enough, if I was smarter, if I worked harder-“ He started to rake his finger through his hair, the pressure of his hands doing no good in grounding him.

“Reid. We all tried our best, and in the process, we saved 2 people before the Unsub could get to them. We did it.” Hotch interrupted Reid, stopping him from spiraling into a breakdown. He raised his hands to Reid’s, carefully setting them down.

Then Hotch rested the side of his head against Reid’s, his arm wrapped around Reid’s shoulder.

They sat like that in silence for a while, Reid becoming more comfortable with being close to Hotch. 

Reid had realized that in that moment, Hotch was really the only father figure in his life. Sure there was Rossi, but Hotch was more soft-spoken to him. Rossi would give very good advice from time to time, but Hotch was always there for anyone to just talk to. Even though Morgan was the one to go to for extracting feelings, Hotch was there for Morgan when he needed it.

Reid barely had a father figure in his life, let alone a parental figure. Hotch being there for Reid and the rest of the team finally put Reid’s crowded mind to rest.

“Feeling better?” Hotch said, breaking the peaceful silence.

Reid mumbled a yes, slowly easing out of Hotch’s grasp. He looked at Hotch with a sad smile, his mood better but not completely lifted.

“I’m sorry if I was too forward. I guess my instincts were too strong.” He said, His voice still steady, but with a hint of an apology. Hotch was looking straight at him, Reid still impressed that he’s able to keep direct eye contact longer than anyone else can. Reid’s smile turned a little bit happier.

“It’s okay, I think I needed that after this case.” He said, Gratitude laced in his voice. Hotch smirked, making Reid looked instantly shocked.

“What is it?” Hotch questioned, his face immediately turning stone-cold serious. Reid kept his bubbling laughter from exploding, Hotch turning more confused by the second.

“It’s just so weird seeing you smile,” Reid said, laughter ensues.

“Haha, very funny.” Hotch retorted sarcastically, laughing slightly.

The rest of the night, Hotch and Reid stayed in Hotch’s office, doing work, relaxing, talking about cases, talking about their emotions and experiences, the list goes on and on. 

Both of them had a bond, they already knew that before tonight. What they didn’t know is that they both have a powerful platonic relationship. Reid knew that Hotch would always be there for him, and Hotch knew that Reid could come to him with his problems. 

So don’t mess with Reid because there will be a furious Derek Morgan AND an overprotective Aaron Hotchner watching your every move.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m past season 11 so I just wanted to write about two of my favorites because i’m extremely sad and can only write oneshotssss :(


End file.
